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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27963659">saturday, 12:34 am</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/dendryllio/pseuds/dendryllio'>dendryllio</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>elders of the creek [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Craig of the Creek (Cartoon)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Character Study, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotions, Feelings, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Light Angst, Love Confessions, M/M, Mention of sex, lots of emotions, lots of rambling, rating is because of a small mention of jacking off</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 14:43:09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,416</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27963659</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/dendryllio/pseuds/dendryllio</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>David was rambling and he wasn’t looking at his phone anymore because he didn’t want to see his own face when he was like this, heart open wide like the sky, spilling his emotions like rain, unable to slow or stop his words. </p><p>Mark couldn’t take his eyes off the screen, memorizing David’s expression like David did to him those years ago, burning into his brain the image of his bottom lip swollen from biting it and his ears poking out from the fringe of his hair that was in desperate need of a trim, the tips of them flushed rosy from emotional overexertion and his nostrils flaring with the emphasis of his words and he was beautiful and Mark would never forgive himself if he ever forgot it.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>David/Mark, Elder David/Elder Mark, Elder Mark/Elder David, Mark/David</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>elders of the creek [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2048522</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>20</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>saturday, 12:34 am</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>hoo boy i'm back writing for the five people that read this ship</p><p>this is a follow up to <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27579005/chapters/67463108">my other fic</a>, specifically chapter two; it's not necessary to read that one first, but it's recommended</p><p>this was supposed to be a oneshot but it turned into a feely angsty mess that turned into me projecting onto mark that turned into a character study of both of them, since i was upest with myself that mark was out of character in my other work for this pairing. basically its just full of ridiculously long sentences and far too many adjectives</p><p>enjoy :)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The beanbag incident was 17 days ago, not that David was counting or anything, and they had grown significantly closer since then. </p><p> </p><p>Neither had really expected their relationship to be initiated by an impulsive sexual encounter, but then again, neither had really expected their relationship to be initiated at all.</p><p> </p><p>But the night after Mark had jacked him off in Elder Rock, for lack of a better way to phrase it, they had talked about it. </p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>It was a Friday, and the Elders didn’t go to the creek on Fridays because David had evening Shabbat service, and it just wasn’t the same without him, although Mark never would’ve admitted that to Barry.</p><p> </p><p>And that Friday night, or Saturday morning as it happened to be, at 12:34 am, David got a FaceTime call. </p><p> </p><p>The bright picture of Mark’s contact on his phone assaulted his eyes and he turned on his bedside lamp for them to adjust quicker, fixing his hair in the mirror across from his bed, before pressing the button to accept the call.</p><p> </p><p>And of course, it had already stopped ringing.</p><p> </p><p>David sighed and called Mark back but it didn’t go through because Mark was in the midst of calling him and it took 8 and a quarter minutes and 1 unread text to ‘stop fucking calling me i’m trying to call you’ for them to finally get it right. </p><p> </p><p>Now Mark’s real face rather than a picture of him lit up David’s phone and it was still an assault on his eyes, but a rather pleasant one.</p><p> </p><p>“Good, you’re up.” </p><p> </p><p>Mark had resting bitch face and was blunt as usual, and if David hadn’t known him since second grade and learned all of his mannerisms to a T, he would’ve thought he was angry at him. But by the furrow in his brow and the clench in his cheeks, David knew he was a mix of worried and just a tad electrified under his mask.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, why are you FaceTiming me out of nowhere at 1 in the morning? That’s against basic phone etiquette.”</p><p> </p><p>“We should,” Mark paused, taking a shuddering breath as if what he was about to say was the worst possible thing that could come out of his mouth, “Talk.”</p><p> </p><p>“About what happened yesterday?”</p><p> </p><p>“No, about the test next week, yes about yesterday!” His voice was quiet as everyone was asleep but his tone was a shout, and David flinched at it. Mark saw his best friend recoil and sighed. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to get mad at you. I’m just- ugh, I‘m just really frustrated cause I’m not good at talking about feelings!”</p><p> </p><p>David gave his front camera a soft reassuring smile. “That’s alright. I’m pretty good at talking about feelings so it should turn out fine. Just take your time with it, that usually helps.”</p><p> </p><p>Mark flopped back on his bed with a groan, suddenly out of frame and David giggled quietly.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, should I start?”</p><p> </p><p>Mark’s face came back in frame as he straightened his arms out towards his ceiling. He had a scowl on his face that was supposed to convey annoyance but he huffed cutely and it ruined his whole demeanor.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah.”</p><p> </p><p>“Okay, well I’ve liked you for a really long time. I think I first realized it in seventh grade at the talent show when I did a magic act and the day after realized how bad the tricks were because even though everyone told me how great it was to make me feel good, you just told me how terrible it was and that I should probably just stop doing magic.”</p><p> </p><p>Mark cringed at that but let David continue with his monologue.</p><p> </p><p>“I cried when I got home from the creek that night because I thought it was mean even though that’s just how you are, but I hadn’t realized it yet. </p><p> </p><p>“The next day after school you cornered me and hugged me and said that Barry told you it was mean to say that because he had noticed how teary-eyed I got. And then you told me that you had never meant to hurt me, you only wanted me to be my best self because you cared about me. Then we pulled back from the hug and I studied your expression because it was the first time in the five years we’d known each other that I had seen you without that stone mask you always wear and I never wanted to forget it.”</p><p> </p><p>David was rambling and he wasn’t looking at his phone anymore because he didn’t want to see his own face when he was like this, heart open wide like the sky, spilling his emotions like rain, unable to slow or stop his words. </p><p> </p><p>Mark couldn’t take his eyes off the screen, memorizing David’s expression like David did to him those years ago, burning into his brain the image of his bottom lip swollen from biting it and his ears poking out from the fringe of his hair that was in desperate need of a trim, the tips of them flushed rosy from emotional overexertion and his nostrils flaring with the emphasis of his words and he was beautiful and Mark would never forgive himself if he ever forgot it.</p><p> </p><p>“Anyways,” David’s voice brought Mark out of his thoughts. “I didn’t know what love felt like, but I saw you there and I told myself this had to be it, because I read <em> way </em> too many romance novels for a prepubescent middle school boy and I knew all the cheesy metaphors those books used for love and suddenly they weren’t metaphors anymore and I felt like there were butterflies in my stomach and my heart was in my throat and-”</p><p> </p><p>He stopped, out of breath from expelling everything he’d felt, every single emotion just leaving him. </p><p> </p><p>It was fulfilling to say the very least.</p><p> </p><p>“That was a lot,” David said meekly, as if he didn’t have any words left in him. “Do you wanna go next?”</p><p> </p><p>Mark was taken by surprise for a moment even though he knew he was supposed to say something. </p><p> </p><p>He had never before been able to express his feelings, told endlessly growing up that <em> boys don’t cry </em> and <em> man up and stop whining, you’re not a girl </em>and he never really grew out of it. </p><p> </p><p>“I guess,” David gave Mark that smile again that made him open up as much as he could. “I think I feel that stuff too. I don’t, uh, I don’t really know how to say it, but I don’t feel a lot of things. It feels like my emotions are muted all the time. </p><p> </p><p>“But, sometimes, not a lot, but sometimes, I feel stuff. Like a lot of stuff and it’s overwhelming because I’m not used to it and I don’t know how to deal with it so I lash out cause the only feeling I know how to express is anger.”</p><p> </p><p>Mark took a long pause, holding back tears, and David felt a sharp tug in his stomach and a strong urge to embrace his best friend.</p><p> </p><p>“So, I guess what I’m trying to say is that most of those times when I feel a lot of stuff are times that I’m with you. And it’s nice stuff but sometimes it doesn’t always feel nice cause it just feels like I’m overflowing cause I just want to kiss you so bad but I can’t so that’s why I say mean things and god I’m so sorry for all the times I hurt you.”</p><p> </p><p>“You can kiss me now if you’d like. When you feel all of that stuff.” </p><p> </p><p>David’s voice was soft and understanding and Mark broke into tears because he had never told this to anyone and David accepted it, David <em> understood </em> it and he felt so good he just had to cry.</p><p> </p><p>“If you’d like, I can probably bike to your house in half an hour. I’d really like to hold you,” David sounded desperate under the calm tone he used to comfort Mark. </p><p> </p><p>The older teen nodded immediately and David threw his phone down on his bed, quickly throwing on a jacket and shoes and opening his window to climb out. </p><p> </p><p>David grabbed his phone again before he left and Mark sighed in relief to see his face again, both just staring at each other for a long moment.</p><p> </p><p>“I love you, Mark.”</p><p> </p><p>A sniffle and a deep breath.</p><p> </p><p>“I love you too, David.”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> fin </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>kudos and comments are greatly appreciated, peace and love !</p></blockquote></div></div>
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